An Ultimate Guide To PUBG Ranked Mode And How To Play It In 2024

by  Ievgen Dubravin

PUBG is a shooter and famous battle royale game in which 100 players fight each other until the last one remains. Thanks to PUBG, the battle royale genre became incredibly popular, and this all happened even before the victorious march of Fortnite and similar games. The game remains popular and relevant to this day, thanks to its realistic setting and shooting, as well as the number of different eSports championships that are regularly held. As an active player, I often participate in PUBG ranked battles, and I must admit that I have become quite good at them. That’s how the idea for this article came: to share with GameTree members the peculiarities of the PUBG ranking system.

What Is PUBG Ranked Mode?

Ranked mode is a competitive game mode where up to 64 players fight in squads using new rules. They focus heavily on pacing and looting to earn points and rank up if the squad wins or lose points and rank down if it loses.

Old System And The Newest Updates

The main change in PUBG ranked mode is related to the game’s transition to the free-to-play format. Previously, when players purchased a copy of PUBG, ranked mode was available to all players, and there were separate queues for solo, duo, and squad modes. New players who join PUBG after switching to free-to-play receive a basic account, which gives them most of the game’s features but not access to ranked games. In order to play ranked games, new players now need to get the Battlegrounds Plus update. This change was made to solve the problem of cheaters in the PC version of PUBG.

How The PUBG Rank System Works

In PUBG, players receive rank points based on their performance in matches, i.e., kills, assists, and place in the match. The number of points earned or lost depends on factors such as the player’s current rank, the rank of opponents, and the player’s performance in the match. No one knows exactly how these points are calculated, and if a player does not play for more than one week, their rank decreases. That is supposed to keep you engaged all the time, and honestly, it really works. 

NOTE:

Every new season, the PUBG ranked ladder is reseted. At the beginning of the season, players need to play 10 games, the results of which will calibrate them in what rank they will start the season.

List Of All PUBG Ranks And Tiers

Here are all the PUBG ranks in order, according to the points earned in the ranked games:

How To Start Playing In The Ranked Mode

If you think that starting to play in PUBG ranked matches is easy, and you need to simply join and play, I have to disappoint you. There are many nuances here. 

As I mentioned before, due to the game’s transition to a free-to-play model, players will need to purchase an update called Battlegrounds Plus to join PUBG ranked games. Those who purchased the game before switching to the free-to-play model will receive the Battlegrounds Plus update for free. Plus, ranked matches have additional requirements, and all squad members must meet these requirements to begin the match. 

In order to gain access to PUBG ranked games, players need to reach Survival Mastery level 80 and play 10 calibration games to get the initial rank. Also, depending on the region and platform, players may be required to verify their account before being eligible to participate in Ranked Mode. If a verified account is blocked, the device connected to it will also be blocked forever. 

The squad will not be able to start searching for a PUBG ranked game if two players who have passed the calibration are too far apart in rank (more than 10 divisions). However, this does not apply to finding games for a random squad. Depending on the season, ranked games may have special rules or restrictions that do not exist in casual games. 

Players who find a match and get to the pre-game lobby will receive rating penalties if they decide to quit the match. They will have to wait out the match’s penalty timer before they can play in ranked mode again.

How To Check Your PUBG Rank

About Different PUBG Ranked Modes

In PUBG, there is no one overall rating that is tied to your account. Instead, the PUBG rank system is divided by game modes and squad sizes. For different game modes, you will have a separate rank; the same applies to squad sizes. Also, different regions have different ranked queues based on the decision of PUBG Corp. Rank availability by region is distributed as follows:

• EU: Ranked Squad (FPP)
• KR: Ranked Squad (FPP/TPP)
• AS: Ranked Squad (FPP/TPP)
• SEA: Ranked Squad (TPP/FPP)
• NA: Ranked Squad (FPP)

NOTE:

FPP stands for first-person perspective, and TPP means third-person perspective.

PUBG Ranking System And Its Effects On Matchmaking

Conventionally, in the matchmaking of PUBG ranked games, two points can be distinguished: one is obvious and understandable to everyone, while the other is not that obvious.

The obvious point of the PUBG ranking system is that if a player makes a lot of kills or is the last one left in a game that involves other players with the same or similar level, the player’s rank will increase. The game understands that the player plays better than other participants of the same level and increases their rank. Likewise, if a player plays a match poorly, their rating will drop.

The non-obvious part of the PUBG ranked point system is that the matchmaking mechanism tries to match players of the same skill level, and this does not depend on the players’ rank. This means players with a low rank but high KDA may end up in a lobby with players with a high rank.

The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the main way to ensure that you are thrown into the lobby with players of the same PUBG level and climb up the ranking ladder is to constantly be among the last survivors, regardless of the number of kills.

How To Increase Your Ranking?

I’ve been playing PUBG for many hours now, and here are some simple tips from me on how to move up in the PUBG ranking system and improve your game a little:

• Play in one game mode: Since PUBG has separate ratings not only for game modes but also for squads, I recommend you to focus on one mode. By doing this, you not only increase your chance of ranking higher in a given game mode, but your skill level in that particular game mode will also increase.
• More gaming practice: This is a pretty obvious tip, and still, by spending more time playing the game, you will improve your skill and rank level in PUBG.
• Survival is more important than the number of kills: The placement points can greatly increase your rating, so survive as long as possible and avoid unnecessary firefights.
• Play in a squad and not in a solo rank: Playing in a squad will be much easier for you since you will need to cooperate and cover each other, but this will not happen in single games.

Looking For PUBG Teammates? GameTree Has Got You Covered!

As I wrote above, playing PUBG ranked games is much easier if you form a team than if you play solo. With the GameTree platform, you can assemble a squad of players of a similar rank and move towards victories together! Our AI-based matchmaking algorithm easily matches players of similar levels, playstyles, and game preferences. This way, you can not only find partners to play with, but also build a long-term team and make new friends. Download the GameTree app today, and PUBG LFG will never be a problem for you again!

Final Thoughts

The ranking system is an integral part of modern competitive games, especially those in which eSports tournaments are held. The skill-based matchmaking system is somewhat controversial; perhaps there is less fun in such games… However, there must be some kind of unified established set of rules for eSports, and PUBG is also part of this system. SBMM is neither good nor bad; it’s just something like a modern standard everyone has come to, and that is acceptable to everyone now. So, I hope you now have a clear understanding of how PUBG ranked mode works and are ready to conquer the top 500 of the leadership boards!